Fresh off an official visit to Fayetteville on Jan. 22, there's a new face in the safety room for the Razorbacks.
Anton Pierce, a safety out of Mills High School in Little Rock, committed to Arkansas on as a preferred walk-on Thursday evening via Twitter.
Pierce told HawgBeat that during his visit to Arkansas he told the staff he was committing, and he had a signing ceremony on Friday morning to commemorate the moment.
While Pierce was on the Hill, Arkansas' new coaches on the defensive staff sat down and showed him how they plan to run their defense and how he would fit in.
"When I went up there this time there was a new coaching staff," Pierce told HawgBeat. "They were very welcoming, you know, they broke it down to me, like what defense and where they see me fitting in. and I really liked it."
Ranked as a two-star athlete according to Rivals, Pierce was originally committed to Army, but later decommitted on Jan. 13. He also held an offer from Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
An athlete who played on both sides of the ball at Mills HS in Little Rock, Pierce will play safety for the Hogs. It's a big position of need for the Razorbacks, as the secondary posted one of the worst pass defenses in the FBS last season.
Defensively last season, Pierce tallied 65 tackles — three of those for loss and one sack — eight pass breakups, four interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Pierce, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 203 pounds, will join fellow Mills athlete JaBrae Shaw, who also committed to Arkansas as a preferred walk-on a week prior. Shaw and Pierce have played together since little league football.
"I mean, that's kind of like a dream, you know, when you're little," Pierce said. "You want to keep playing with them as long as possible."
On top of Shaw, Pierce has his eye on another Mills athlete the Hogs are recruiting: 2024 four-star defensive lineman Charleston Collins.
"Hopefully we can get Charlie (Collins) and some more people up here to play with us," Pierce said.
Anton Pierce, a safety out of Mills High School in Little Rock, committed to Arkansas on as a preferred walk-on Thursday evening via Twitter.
Pierce told HawgBeat that during his visit to Arkansas he told the staff he was committing, and he had a signing ceremony on Friday morning to commemorate the moment.
While Pierce was on the Hill, Arkansas' new coaches on the defensive staff sat down and showed him how they plan to run their defense and how he would fit in.
"When I went up there this time there was a new coaching staff," Pierce told HawgBeat. "They were very welcoming, you know, they broke it down to me, like what defense and where they see me fitting in. and I really liked it."
Ranked as a two-star athlete according to Rivals, Pierce was originally committed to Army, but later decommitted on Jan. 13. He also held an offer from Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
An athlete who played on both sides of the ball at Mills HS in Little Rock, Pierce will play safety for the Hogs. It's a big position of need for the Razorbacks, as the secondary posted one of the worst pass defenses in the FBS last season.
Defensively last season, Pierce tallied 65 tackles — three of those for loss and one sack — eight pass breakups, four interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Pierce, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 203 pounds, will join fellow Mills athlete JaBrae Shaw, who also committed to Arkansas as a preferred walk-on a week prior. Shaw and Pierce have played together since little league football.
"I mean, that's kind of like a dream, you know, when you're little," Pierce said. "You want to keep playing with them as long as possible."
On top of Shaw, Pierce has his eye on another Mills athlete the Hogs are recruiting: 2024 four-star defensive lineman Charleston Collins.
"Hopefully we can get Charlie (Collins) and some more people up here to play with us," Pierce said.
